Absence Of Lymphovascular Space Invasion Research Articles

Predictive factors for adnexal involvement in endometrial cancer FIGO stage IIIA

ObjectiveUnderstanding ovarian involvement incidence and risk factors in women with endometrial cancer may inform the decision of ovary preservation.MethodsOur retrospective study included all consecutive fully surgically staged patients with endometrial...

An MRI radiomics-based model for the prediction of invasion of the lymphovascular space in patients with cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women, and the ability to accurately anticipate the presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) is critical to maintaining optimal patient outcomes. The objective of this study was to establish and verify an MRI radiomics-based model to predict the status of LVSI in patients with operable CC. The current study performed a retrospective analysis, with 86 patients in the training cohort and 38 patients in the testing group, specifically focusing on patients with CC. The radiomics feature extraction process included ADC, T2WI-SPAIR, and T2WI sequences. The training group data were used for the initial radionics-based model building, and the model predictive performance was subsequently validated using data from patients recruited in the experimental group. The development of the radiomics scoring model has been completed with 17 selected features. The study found several risk factors associated with LVSI. These risk factors included moderate tumor differentiation (P = 0.005), poor tumor differentiation (P = 0.001), and elevated combined sequence-based radiomics scores (P = 0.001). Radiomics scores based on predictive model, combined sequences, ADC, T2WI-SPAIR, and T2WI exhibited AUCs of 0.897, 0.839, 0.815, 0.698, and 0.739 in the training cohort, respectively, with corresponding testing cohort values of 0.833, 0.833, 0.683, 0.692, and 0.725. Excellent consistency was shown by the calibration curve analysis, which showed a higher degree of agreement between the actual and anticipated LVSI status. Moreover, the decision curve analysis outcomes demonstrated the medical application of this prediction model. This investigation indicated that the MRI radiomics model was successfully developed and validated to predict operable CC patient LVSI status, attaining high overall diagnostic accuracy. However, further external validation and more deeper analysis on a larger sample size are still needed.

Prognostic factors in patients with endometrial cancer with isolated lymphatic recurrence

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinicopathological features and outcomes in patients with endometrial cancer with isolated lymphatic recurrence after lymphadenectomy, stratified by different isolated lymphatic recurrence sites and treatment approaches.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed...

Expression and significance of immune checkpoint B7-homolog 4 in endometrial cancer

Objective: To investigate the expression of B7 homolog 4 (B7-H4) and its clinical significance in endometrial cancer. Methods: A total of 833 patients with endometrial cancer admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from 2009 to 2019, were enrolled. The expression of B7-H4, mismatch repair (MMR), p53, programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein, and CD8+ T lymphocyte density in endometrial cancer tissues were detected by the EnVision two-step method of immunohistochemical staining. First-generation sequencing (Sanger method) was used to determine molecular subtyping of endometrial cancer. The χ2 test was used to compare the differences in positive expression rate of B7-H4 protein in endometrial cancer tissues with different clinicopathological features and molecular subtyping, PD-L1 protein expression, and CD8+ T lymphocyte density. Survival analyses [including recurrence-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS)] were performed for 664 patients with follow-up time≥3 months, with a median follow-up time of 31 months (range: 4-121 months), and the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the relevant factors affecting the prognosis of patients with endometrial cancer. Results: (1) The median age of 833 patients was 58 years (range: 25-88 years); pathological type: 595 with endometrioid carcinoma, 238 with non-endometrioid carcinoma; surgical-pathological staging: 542 cases at stage Ⅰ, 38 cases at stage Ⅱ, 173 cases at stage Ⅲ, and 45 cases at stage Ⅳ. Molecular subtyping was performed in 590 patients, including 50 with POLE mutation, 163 with mismatch repair defect (MMR-d) type, 246 with nospecific molecular change (NSMP) type, and 131 with p53 mutation subtype. (2) B7-H4 protein was expressed with brownish-yellow stainind in the cell membrane and cytoplasm of endometrial carcinoma, and the positivity rate of B7-H4 protein was 71.5% (596/833). The positivity rates of B7-H4 protein among patients with different age, surgical-pathological stage, tumor grade, pathological type, depth of muscular invasion, presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion, and molecular subtype were significantly different (all P<0.05). The positivity rates of B7-H4 protein among patients with different PD-L1 protein expression and CD8+ T lymphocyte density were not significantly different (P>0.05). The 5-year RFS (83.9%) and DSS (87.3%) of B7-H4 protein-positive patients had an increasing trend compared with the 5-year RFS (77.2%) and DSS (78.1%) of B7-H4 protein-negative patients, but there were not statistically significant differences (P=0.053, P=0.083). (3) Univariate analysis showed that the 5-year RFS and DSS of patients with different age, tumor grade, surgical-pathological stage, pathological type, depth of muscular invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, and molecular subtype were significantly different (all P<0.01). There were no significant differences in 5-year RFS (P=0.184, P=0.113) and DSS (P=0.549, P=0.247) among patients with different CD8+ T lymphocyte density and PD-L1 protein expression. Further analysis according to molecular subtype, the results of CD8+ T lymphocyte density and PD-L1 protein expression showed that the 5-year RFS and DSS of B7-H4 protein-positive patients were higher than those of B7-H4 protein-negative patients with NSMP subtype, low density of CD8+ T lymphocyte and PD-L1 protein-negative endometrial carcinoma (all P<0.05), however, there was no significant difference in 5-year DSS between B7-H4 protein-positive patients and B7-H4 protein-negative patients with PD-L1 protein-negative endometrial cancer (P=0.060). Multivariate analysis showed that positive expression of B7-H4 protein was an independent factor for 5-year RFS (HR=0.27, 95%CI: 0.09-0.78, P=0.016) and DSS (HR=0.16, 95%CI: 0.05-0.58, P=0.005) in patients with NSMP subtype endometrial carcinoma. In patients with low-density CD8+ T lymphocytes endometrial cancer, positive expression of B7-H4 protein was an independent factor for 5-year RFS (HR=0.45, 95%CI: 0.26-0.80, P=0.006), but it was not an independent factor for 5-year DSS. In patients with PD-L1 protein-negative endometrial cancer, B7-H4 protein was not an independent factor for 5-year RFS. Conclusion: B7-H4 protein expressed highly in endometrial carcinoma tissues, and its high expression is closely related to clinicopathological features, molecular subtype of p53 mutant and NSMP, and the favorable prognosis of patients with low density of CD8+ T lymphocyte immunophenotype endometrial carcinoma.

GSOR20 Presentation Time: 12:05 PM: Vaginal Cuff Brachytherapy versus External Beam in High Risk (T1b Grade 3) Endometrioid Endometrial Cancer: An NCDB Analysis

<h3>Purpose</h3> The optimal adjuvant management of localized, resected high risk (HR) Stage I endometrioid endometrial cancer (i.e. FIGO grade 3 with > 50% myometrial invasion) remains unclear. A Cochrane meta-analysis showed a 10% overall survival (OS) benefit when EBRT (external beam radiation therapy) was given versus no radiation treatment. However, no randomized trials have compared adjuvant EBRT to VCB (vaginal cuff brachytherapy) without chemotherapy. A SEER analysis from 2012 showed reported that in women with lymph node dissection, there was no difference in OS between EBRT and VCB in patients with HR Stage I endometrial cancer. We hypothesized that adjuvant EBRT or VCB would both be equally associated with improved OS in HR Stage I endometrial cancer in a large, modern database. <h3>Materials and Methods</h3> The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for women diagnosed with endometrioid endometrial cancer from 2004-2017, who had undergone total hysterectomy or greater, and lymph node dissection revealing a pathologic stage of IB (AJCC Edition 6) or IC (AJCC Edition 7), and FIGO Grade of 3. Women were grouped by receipt of multiagent chemotherapy (MCT), VCB (without EBRT), EBRT (without VCB), or EBRT+VCB. OS was measured by Kaplan-Meier estimator, and compared using log rank test. Cox proportional hazard modeling was done, using as additional covariates tumor size, lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), margin status, age, extent of comorbidities, treatment year, and several demographic factors (race, insurance status, educational and income level of zip code, urban versus rural location). A propensity score weighted analysis was performed, using the above covariates. <h3>Results</h3> 10,357 women were analyzed. As adjuvant treatment, 22% received EBRT alone, 26% received VCB alone, 11% received EBRT+VCB, and 42% received no radiation. 30% received adjuvant chemotherapy. Median OS for the entire group was 11.0 years. For the whole group, median OS times were 12.8 years with VCB alone, 11.3 years for EBRT alone, and 11.5 years with EBRT+brachytherapy, which were not significantly different (p > 0.05). However, median OS was only 8.6 years in patients not receiving any radiation, (p <0.0001 compared to receipt of each of the radiation modalities). For patients receiving no adjuvant chemotherapy, median OS was 12.3 years for EBRT alone, 12.8 years with VCB alone, 11.9 years with EBRT+brachytherapy (p > 0.05), but was only 9.6 years in patients not receiving any radiation (p < 0.00001). On multivariate analysis, receipt of radiation (but not receipt of multiagent chemotherapy), smaller tumor size, absence of LVSI, less comorbidities, younger age, and white race were associated with improved overall survival (p <0.003). Propensity score weighted analysis confirmed the OS benefit for women who received any RT. <h3>Conclusions</h3> In this large database, VCB and EBRT had comparable effectiveness in improving OS for HR Stage I endometrial cancer. With equal effect, VCB is favored given the more convenient schedule and decreased side effects as shown in previous randomized trials. The results of this study give impetus for a randomized trial comparing EBRT and VCB without chemotherapy in women with HR endometrioid endometrial cancer. In addition, a large percentage of women with HR disease who did not receive any radiation, despite this being the standard of care with known survival advantage, which reveals likely deficiencies in health care delivery.

Is Adjuvant Chemotherapy Necessary in Patients with Early Endometrial Cancer?

We investigated whether there was a difference in prognosis between patients with stage IA endometrial cancer with and without lymphovascular space invasion. We enrolled patients with stage IA (pT1aN0M0) endometrial cancer admitted to our hospital from 2009 to 2018. All patients underwent hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy. We immunopathologically evaluated the presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion in the tumor tissue using hematoxylin and eosin, Elastica-van Gieson, and podoplanin staining. We analyzed disease-free and overall survival and calculated patients' survival distribution using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. The multivariate analysis was performed to determine the prognostic factors. A total of 116 patients were included. The median age of the patients was 57 (range, 30-78) years, and the histological subtype revealed 98 and 18 cases of types 1 and 2, respectively. The median follow-up period was 71.9 (range, 10.8-149) months, and the 3-year disease-free and 3-year overall survival rates were 94% and 99%, respectively. The disease-free and overall survival rates were significantly shorter in type 2 patients than in type 1 patients (type 2 vs. type 1; 77% vs. 97%, P < 0.01, 94% vs. 100%, P = 0.014, respectively). The univariate and multivariate analyses showed that there were no significant differences in disease-free survival between the lymphovascular space invasion-positive and -negative groups among type 1 cases. There was no difference in prognosis between patients with stage IA and type 1 endometrial cancer with and without lymphovascular space invasion.

Can Conization Specimens Predict Sentinel Lymph Node Status in Early-Stage Cervical Cancer? A SENTICOL Group Study.

Simple SummaryLymph node involvement is one of the major prognosis factors for early-stage cervical cancer. Improvement in preoperative identification of node-positive patients may lead to a more accurate triage to primary chemoradiation for these patients instead of radical surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, given the increased morbidity of combined treatment. Several studies have well established risk factors for node involvement, but they are based on final pathologic examination of radical hysterectomy specimens and are usually extrapolated for preoperative risk assessment. Among these risk factors, tumor size, lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) and depth of stromal invasion might be assessed in conization specimens. Our findings suggest that patients with depth of stromal invasion lower than 10 mm and no LVSI in conization specimens had lower risk of micro- and macrometastatic SLN. In this subpopulation, full node dissection may be questionable in case of SLN unilateral detection.Background: The prognosis of patients with cervical cancer is significantly worsened in case of lymph node involvement. The goal of this study was to determine whether pathologic features in conization specimens can predict the sentinel lymph node (SLN) status in early-stage cervical cancer. Methods: An ancillary analysis of two prospective multicentric database on SLN biopsy for cervical cancer (SENTICOL I and II) was carried out. Patients with IA to IB2 2018 FIGO stage, who underwent preoperative conization before SLN biopsy were included. Results: Between January 2005 and July 2012, 161 patients from 25 French centers fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Macrometastases, micrometastases and Isolated tumor cells (ITCs) were found in 4 (2.5%), 6 (3.7%) and 5 (3.1%) patients respectively. Compared to negative SLN patients, patients with micrometastatic and macrometastatic SLN were more likely to have lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) (60% vs. 29.5%, p = 0.04) and deep stromal invasion (DSI) ≥ 10 mm (50% vs. 17.8%, p = 0.04). Among the 93 patients with DSI < 10 mm and absence of LVSI on conization specimens, three patients (3.2%) had ITCs and only one (1.1%) had micrometastases. Conclusions: Patients with DSI < 10 mm and no LVSI in conization specimens had lower risk of micro- and macrometastatic SLN. In this subpopulation, full node dissection may be questionable in case of SLN unilateral detection.

The struggle against endometrial cancer: ten years of experience of a tertiary center.

We aimed to investigate the clinical and pathological factors of our patients who were diagnosed with endometrial cancer in terms of prognosis. With this study, we present our 10 years of surgical experience in endometrial carcinoma cases. Four hundred twelve patients with endometrial carcinoma who applied to our center between 2010-2019 and that we followed up were evaluated retrospectively. Most of the tumors were low-grade endometrioid malignancies. Non-endometrioid types accounted for 12.1% of cases. Lymph node dissection was performed in 395 of 412 patients (95.9%). 66 (16.01%) of the 412 patients died during the follow-up period in the study sample. Higher OS and DFS rates were associated with endometrioid histological types, FIGO stage, absence of lymphovascular space invasion, lower grade and less than 50% myometrial invasion (p < 0.05). 5-year OS at stage 1, 2, 3, 4 was found as 88.9 ± 2.2%, 65.5 ± 10.8%, 49.4 ± 0.79% and 23.7 ± 0.97% respectively. 5-year DFS at stage 1, 2, 3, 4 was found as 84.1 ± 2.6%, 65.5 ± 10.8%, 47.7 ± 0.78% and 23.7 ± 0.97% respectively. In univariate analysis, Age, tumor histology, FIGO stage, histological grade, LVSI, positive peritoneal cytology, cervical involvement, myometrial invasion and not receiving adjuvant therapy were defined as prognostic factors. Age, grade, FIGO stage, myometrial invasion, histological type, LVSI involvement, cervical involvemet, positive peritoneal cytology and not receiving adjuvant therapy are important prognostic factors for progression-free survival and overall survival in patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

Role of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with FIGO stage IB grade 3 endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma treated with surgery and post-operative radiotherapy

BackgroundThe optimal treatment of patients with FIGO stage IB grade 3 endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma remains unknown.ObjectiveTo compare overall survival following treatment with a hysterectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy with or without...

Extended Field Postoperative Radiotherapy (EFRT) Yields better Outcomes as Compared to Localised Field RT (LFRT) in Radically Resected Gallbladder Cancer (GBC)

Background: Postoperative adjuvant RT is recommended in node positive and positive resection margins patients after radical surgery (RS) in GBC. However there are no guidelines to suggest the regions to be irradiated. Our aim is to compare whether EFRT or LFRT improves outcomes. Methods and Materials: Records of GBC patients who underwent adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy after RS, between January 2007 and December 2014 were reviewed. Demographic data, histopathological data, target delineation, RT treatment planning details, concurrent chemotherapy, side-effects of treatment, and survival data were collated. Patients were treated with either of two techniques: Localised field RT [LFRT] [from 2007-2010] or Extended field RT [EFRT] [from 2011-2014] along with concurrent 5-FU/capecitabine. LFRT involved RT to GB bed, peri-portal, common hepatic artery (CHA) and coeliac lymph nodes and EFRT involved RT to GB bed, peri-portal, CHA, coeliac, gastro-duodenal, superior mesenteric and para aortic lymph nodes. The RT dose was 50.4 Gy/28fractions/5.5 weeks. Loco-regional recurrence rate (LRR), Overall (OS) and Disease free Survival (DFS) was computed with Kaplan Meier method.Results: Out of 60 patients reviewed, 30 were treated with EFRT and 30 with LFRT. There was no significant difference in the acute and late side-effects between the two techniques. At a median follow-up of 44 months (range 36-120 months), 37.5 % patients developed LRR (13.3 % vs 40% in EFRT and LFRT, p = NS).The median OS was not reached (NR) vs 42 months and the median DFS was NR vs 30 months in EFRT vs LFRT respectively (p=0.01 and 0.016). The 5 year OS was 80% vs 42% and 5 year DFS was 80% vs 40% for EFRT and LFRT respectively (p=0.01 and 0.016). Conclusions: Based on our findings, we conclude that EFRT reduces LRR and improves survival in patients with absence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVI) and perineural invasion (PNI). This observation is hypothesis generating and merits validation in a randomised study.

Pseudovascular Invasion: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Endometrial Cancer.

Background and Objectives:To determine if the use of an intrauterine manipulator is associated with an increased incidence of pseudovascular invasion on pathologic evaluation of hysterectomy specimens for endometrial cancer and to assess the possible implications of pseudovascular space invasion in the treatment of endometrial cancer.Methods:We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with early stage (I/II) endometrial cancer who underwent minimally invasive surgical staging. The following data were abstracted: race, body mass index, grade, age, stage, histology, presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), peritoneal cytology, and adjuvant treatment. Slides were blindly reviewed by a gynecologic pathologist.Results:Of the104 patients meeting eligibility criteria, 74 cases were reviewed in detail (the study was terminated early based on the results of an interim analysis). Patients in the no-manipulator group were older (P = .02) and had a higher stage 1B/II (P = .01) than patients in the manipulator group. No difference was found in the incidence of pseudovascular invasion between the manipulator and the no-manipulator groups (P = .86). Subgroup analysis showed no association of pseudovascular invasion with tumor grade (P = .79). Five patients were identified to have pseudovascular invasion misdiagnosed as true LVSI—4 had endometrioid and 1 had serous histology. Of these, 3 were in the manipulator group. Two received adjuvant radiotherapy which they not have gotten, absent reported lymphovascular invasion.Conclusion:The use of a uterine manipulator does not appear to increase the rate of pseudovascular invasion in our limited data set. Misdiagnosis of pseudovascular invasion as LVSI can result in risk migration of patients with potential for harm from unwarranted adjuvant therapy.

Breast Cancer Pathology Reporting in a LMIC: Filling in the Gaps

Background: Breast cancer biology has been studied extensively over the past 5 decades, with a deeper understanding of the epidemiologic, clinical, and prognostic value of specific pathologic features. Tumor characterization beyond histologic type has been shown to guide treatment choices and ultimately improve outcomes. Pathologic features such as tumor grade, margin involvement, hormone and growth factor receptor overexpression, are all pieces of the puzzle that a clinician must put together to adequately map out the best treatment options available to the present-day breast cancer patient. Guidelines for breast cancer pathology reporting have been published, with universal consensus regarding the basic elements required to make a breast cancer pathology report complete. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the completeness of pathology reports of breast cancer patients at all stages of diagnosis or treatment, presenting in an oncology department of a Nigerian teaching hospital over the period of one year. Methods: Pathology reports of 981 breast cancer patients attending the oncology clinic in 2016 were analyzed. Reports originated both from within the teaching hospital and from external pathology centers all over the country. Eight parameters were selected to analyze completeness of the reports: Specimen type, histologic type, immunohistochemistry, margin involvement, lymphovascular space invasion, pathologic stage, and tumor grade. Results: Of 981 pathology reports analyzed, 20.9% originated from the hospitals' pathology department. Specimen type was documented in 86% of reports. 24% of did not specify the histologic type, and almost half (44%) of reports did not specify the grade. 72% of the pathology reports did not have immunohistochemistry results ( Fig 1 ). Presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion was reported in 10%; margin status in 32.3% ( Fig 2 ). Tumor stage was documented in 45%. Ki-67 was not reported in 99% of the pathology reports (Fig 3). Conclusion: Breast cancer survival has improved significantly globally; however LMICs such as Nigeria continue to lag behind. The reasons for this are undoubtedly multifactorial, however inadequate pathology reporting is worth exploring in the context of assessing the consequences of clinicians making decisions, armed with limited information regarding the biology of the tumor they are treating. In general, reports originating from within the hospital's pathology department were more complete than those from referring centers, with up to 7 out of 8 parameters present in at least 50%. Pathology reporting of breast cancer must be standardized in LMICs. Hundreds of years after Cheatle and Cutler first published their pathologic findings from breast cancer specimens; clinicians should no longer be subjected to the practice of making treatment decisions using inadequate data. Perhaps this will bring us one small step closer to achieving survival rates comparable to the rest of the world.[Figure: see text]

Uterine Carcinosarcoma: A Single Centre Retrospective Clinical Cohort Analysis

Objective: Carcinosarcomas are rare, heterogeneous tumours with a poor prognosis and no well-defined treatment pathway. Through analysis of a cohort of University College London Hospital (UCLH) patients, we assessed potential known clinicopathological prognostic factors by looking at the association of baseline characteristics with progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Methods: Women with uterine carcinosarcoma treated at UCLH from 2003 to 2014 were retrospectively identified and analysed. Clinicopathological data and treatment history were collected from patient records. Results: 73 patients were included. 69.9% were FIGO stage I/II, 62.2% had heterologous elements and 60.0% had lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI). Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) was received by 48% of patients, 27.4% had RT alone and 8.2%, chemotherapy alone. Median OS was 38.3 months and PFS 25.5 months. Two-year OS and PFS were greater in earlier stage disease (OS; 68.3% vs. 48.9%, PFS; 58.7% vs. 36.1%), homologous component (OS; 72.7% vs. 41.7%, PFS; 60.8% vs. 35.7%) and absence of LVSI (OS; 75.3% vs. 53.7%, PFS; 66.9% vs. 42.5%). Two years OS and PFS for patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy and RT was 64.9% and 58.2% respectively, which was similar to survival rate of those who received RT alone (OS 68.4% and PFS 57.4%). Patients who didn’t receive adjuvant treatment had worse survival (32.7% OS and 11.4% PFS). Conclusions: Patients receiving RT alone had similar survival to those receiving RT and chemotherapy. Patients who didn’t receive adjuvant treatment had the poorest survival.

Is radiation indicated for young women with early stage, node-negative breast cancer after mastectomy? A multi-institution, retrospective review.

The role of post-mastectomy radiation for women with node negative, early stage disease is not well-defined. The purpose of this study is to more clearly define a subset of women who are ≤40years of age with T1-T2, node negative breast cancer who may benefit from post-mastectomy radiation. Using tumor registries at two institutions, we identified 219 women ≤40years of age with T1-T2, node negative breast cancer treated with mastectomy. Of these 219 patients, 38 received post-mastectomy radiation and 181 did not. Kaplan-Meier methods and cox proportional-hazards regression models were employed for statistical analysis. There were no locoregional failures in the women receiving post mastectomy radiation, which lead to a nonsignificant increase in freedom from locoregional recurrence (P=.08). For women not receiving post-mastectomy radiation, freedom from locoregional recurrence was 94.7% and 89.7% at 5- and 10-years. Lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) was the only factor predictive of locoregional recurrence. For women without LVSI, freedom from locoregional recurrence was 96.0% and 93.3% at 5- and 10-years respectively. For women with LVSI who did not receive post mastectomy radiation, freedom from locoregional recurrence was 89.1% at 5-years. There were no failures in the women with LVSI who received post mastectomy radiation. For women ≤40years of age with T1-2, node negative breast cancer treated with mastectomy and no post-mastectomy radiation, locoregional control is excellent in the absence of LVSI, regardless of other risk factors. In the presence of LVSI (regardless of other risk factors), the risk of locoregional recurrence is high and appears to be decreased with post-mastectomy radiation.

Effect of lymphovascular space invasion on survival of stage I epithelial ovarian cancer.

To evaluate the effect of lymphovascular space invasion on survival of patients with early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer. A multicenter retrospective study was conducted for patients with stage IA-C epithelial ovarian cancer who underwent primary comprehensive surgery including lymphadenectomy. Histopathology slides for ovarian tumors were examined by gynecologic pathologists for the presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion. Survival analysis was performed examining tumoral factors. A total of 434 patients were included in the analysis. Lymphovascular space invasion was detected in 76 (17.5%) patients associated with histology (P=.042) and stage (P=.044). Lymphovascular space invasion was significantly associated with decreased survival outcomes (disease-free survival, 5-year rate 78.4% compared with 90.7%, P=.024 and overall survival, 84.9% compared with 93.2%, P=.031) in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, lymphovascular space invasion did not remain a significant variable for disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97-3.97, P=.059) or overall survival (HR 2.41, 95% CI 0.99-5.85, P=.052). Lymphovascular space invasion was associated with increased risk of hematogenous and lymphatic metastasis (HR 4.79, 95% CI 1.75-13.2, P=.002) but not peritoneal metastasis (P=.33) in multivariate analysis. Among lymphovascular space invasion-expressing tumors, patients who received fewer than six cycles of postoperative chemotherapy had significantly poorer disease-free survival than those who received six or more cycles (HR 4.59, 95% CI 1.20-17.5, P=.015). Lymphovascular space invasion is an important histologic feature to identify a subgroup of patients with increased risk of recurrence in stage I epithelial ovarian cancer. III.

A suggested modification to FIGO stage I endometrial cancer

ObjectiveFIGO stage I endometrial cancers are divided into two substages, regardless of the presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI). The aim of this study was to investigate whether stratification based on the LVSI status would better predict mortality. MethodsUsing a multicentric database, we identified patients who underwent endometrial cancer operations between 2000 and 2010. The staging performance was quantified with respect to discrimination. ResultsThe study cohort included 508 patients (198 with LVSI-positive tumors and 310 with LVSI-negative tumors). The survival difference between the stage I patients with LVSI-positive and LVSI-negative tumors was highly significant (81% and 97%, respectively P=.009), whereas the difference between the stage I patients with tumors invading greater or less than half of the myometrium was not (87% and 96%, respectively P=0.09). The 5-year OS rates for the patients with LVSI-negative tumors invading less than half of the myometrium, with LVSI-negative tumors invading more than half of the myometrium and with LVSI-positive invading more than or less than half of the myometrium were 98%, 95%, and 81%, respectively (P=.03). Separating the LVSI-negative and LVSI-positive tumors would improve discrimination (concordance index, 77% vs. 75%, respectively, using the actual staging system). ConclusionA LVSI-positive status has a significantly worse prognosis. In this study, the distinction by LVSI status appears to be more relevant than the distinction between stages IA and IB for predicting survival in stage I endometrial cancer. This difference in prognosis would favor restaging these two entities.

Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy

Many women undergo mastectomy as treatment of their breast cancer either because of personal preference or because of tumor-related factors making mastectomy the preferred surgical option. The use of postmastectomy radiation therapy has been shown to decrease the risk of local recurrence and in some cases improve overall survival. Decisions regarding the need for postmastectomy radiation therapy can be complex and rely on careful review of many factors. Lymph node status, tumor size, tumor grade, receptor status, presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion, Her-2/neu status, margin width, and patient age all need to be considered when making recommendations for or against postmastectomy radiation therapy. In this article, we provide a review of the relevant literature pertaining to postmastectomy radiation therapy in order to help guide this decision-making process.

Is there an increase in the incidence of uterine carcinosarcoma in north-east Scotland? A 19 years population-based cohort study

The incidence of uterine carcinosarcoma and factors associated with its survival are little known and this study helps to address this question for women residing in north-east Scotland. Data were collected from women diagnosed with carcinosarcoma of the uterus residing in north-east of Scotland from 1991 to 2009. Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox regression analysis were used for analysis. A total of 43 women were analysed during this period. The median survival was 25 months. The estimated five-year survival for stage I/II disease was 52.5% (95% CI: 30.5-74.5%). The 2-year survival rate for stage III/IV disease was 46% (95% CI: 16-75%). There was an increase in the incidence during this period. Improved survival was seen in early-stage disease (FIGO stages I and II) and in the absence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI; p = 0.015). A total of 26% of the women had a history of tamoxifen usage with no effect seen on survival. Multivariate analysis showed that when treatment modality and LVSI were adjusted for FIGO staging, there was no statistical significance in the survival outcomes. The incidence of uterine carcinosarcomas is increasing parallel with endometrial carcinomas with no significant effect of tamoxifen on survival.

Analysis of Outcomes of Microinvasive Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Cervix by Treatment Type

To estimate the risk of metastatic disease in microinvasive adenocarcinoma of the cervix in a large cohort. Thirty-six cases were identified from the Mayo Clinic health information database, and 30 cases were identified using the University of Southern California gynecologic oncology patient database. Histopathology was reviewed by a single pathologist at each institution to confirm histologic subtype and grade of tumor, depth of invasion, linear extent of the tumor, the presence or absence of lymphovascular space invasion, margin status, parametrial involvement, and the presence of nodal metastasis. Fifty-two patients had stage IA1 cancers and 14 had stage IA2 cancers. Therapy ranged from cold knife conization to radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy. No parametrial involvement was noted in any of the patients who underwent parametrial resection. One patient with stage IA1 cancer had micrometastasis to a pelvic lymph node. No recurrences were noted with an average follow-up of 80 months. The management of microinvasive adenocarcinoma remains controversial, and radical therapy is applied more frequently to microinvasive adenocarcinoma than microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. The risk of extracervical disease is low and the risk of recurrence is not affected by the radicality of resection. Our data suggest that microinvasive adenocarcinoma is amenable to treatment with nonradical surgery. III.

Lymphovascular space invasion does not predict vaginal relapses in stage I endometrioid adenocarcinoma of the endometrium

This study was conducted to determine whether, in a pure population of patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I endometrioid endometrial (S1EE) carcinoma that is confined to the uterus and without lymph node metastases, the presence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI) is positively associated with vaginal relapses. Pathologic reports for all S1EE diagnosed in a hysterectomy specimen during a 9-year period (1997-2005) were reviewed. Cases with LVSI were selected and immunohistochemical staining for CD34, factor VIII-related antigen and pancytokeratin were performed on the relevant slides for confirmation. Various established prognostic/predictive clinicopathologic parameters were documented for the whole cohort and were correlated with the presence or absence of LVSI. One-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction and Fisher exact/chi(2) tests were used in the respective comparisons of continuous and categoric variables among the different groups. A total of 345 patients were diagnosed with S1EE during this period. The mean patient age for the cohort was 61.9 (+/-12.2) years (range, 28-89 years) and median follow-up was 80 months. Among these 345 patients, LVSI was present in 52 (15%), representing 1 (0.8%) of 121 stage 1A, 23 (14.5%) of 159 stage 1B, and 28 (43%) of 65 stage 1C cases (P < .001). Pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node dissection was performed in 216 cases, and none had positive lymph nodes. We noted that LVSI correlated significantly with nuclear grade, with LVSI being present in 48% (10/21), 18% (32/175), and 5% (7/140) of cases with nuclear grades 3, 2, and 1 cases, respectively (P < .001). It was also more likely to be present in cases with architectural grades 2 and 3 (35/105) than grade 1 (16/234) (P < .01). Vaginal recurrences occurred in 2 (3.8%) of 52 patients with LVSI and 8 (2.7%) of 293 patients without LVSI (P = .65). In addition, on univariate analysis, LVSI did not correlate significantly with patient age, body mass index (using 50-year and 30 body mass index thresholds, respectively), or diabetic status. We conclude that LVSI is seen in approximately 15% of S1EE, and correlates with established prognostic parameters such as the level of myometrial invasion (substage), nuclear grade, and architectural grade. However, LVSI does not denote an increased likelihood of vaginal recurrences in S1EE. The presence of LVSI should not, in of itself, alter clinical staging, or trigger unnecessary therapeutic intervention.